Wild Rice and Kale Salad (Cubby's Dupe)

 

Ingredients

Wild Rice and Kale Salad

• 6 cups lacinato kale, finely chopped (280g)
• 1 ⅓ cup cooked brown or wild rice (200g)
• 1 cup avocado, diced (120g)
• 1 cup apple, diced (120g)
• ½ cup crumbled goat cheese (56g)
• 6 Tbsp toasted slivered almonds (40g)
• ¼ cup Craisins (40g)
• 16 oz grilled chicken, chopped small (448g)

Lemon Balsamic Cilantro Dressing

• 1 cup cilantro (40g)
• ½ cup low fat cottage cheese (113g)
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar (extra delicious if you have lemon balsamic) (60g)
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (15g)
• ½ Tbsp olive oil (7g)
• 1 Tbsp water (swap for lemon juice if your balsamic isn't lemon flavored) (15g)
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

• Remove tough stems from kale, then bundle them tightly together and chop very finely. You can also give it a quick whirl in your food processor!
• Prep the rest of the ingredients. I love to use precooked brown rice and leftover grilled chicken for ease! We love the shelf-stable brown rice from Costco, or the frozen brown rice from Trader Joe’s or Sprouts.
• Make the dressing by adding all the salad dressing ingredients to the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth! If using a plain balsamic, you could add a little honey for sweetness. (My lemon balsamic by Baker and Olive is sweet.)
• For one serving of salad, add to a large bowl, 1 ½ cups (70g) chopped kale, ⅓ cup (50g) cooked brown or wild rice, ¼ cup (30g) diced avocado, ¼ cup (30g) diced apple, 2 Tbsp (14g) crumbled goat cheese, 1 ½ Tbsp. (10g)  toasted slivered almonds, 1 Tbsp. (10g) craisins, and  4 oz (112g) chopped grilled chicken. Toss in ¼ cup (60g) of the dressing. Enjoy!